Psalm 65: You Trust Him--Whether You Know it or Not

The weekend Psalm for:

March 27-28, 2010

Read  Psalm 65 from the English Standard Version

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The Big Idea

Eero Saarinen, the architect of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, famously stated: “God is in the details.” It's like he read this Psalm. 

God really does work through the details of our lives. This Psalm was written for an agricultural community, reminding the people how God was at work in the day-to-day work of growing crops. Let's not miss this: We may see the store as the final source of our food supply, things really haven't changed that much. We may do all the right things, but ultimately, the growth comes from his hand. 

Every day, every meal, every breath, everything that we enjoy—ultimately everything is a gift of God's amazing Grace. Think how vulnerable we are...and tremble.

Meditation 

In the Psalmist's eye, the only reasonable response is praise. When times are bad, we must remember that God atones for our transgressions. When we are totally taken up with the perfect holiness and explosive grace of God, we find satisfaction in him. This is a fine place to refer to St. Augustine, who said “Because God has made us for Himself, our hearts are restless until they rest in Him.
This weekend, take time to enter into God's presence and ask him to reveal his holiness and his grace. Take time to consider—do your mornings and evenings (vs 8) shout for joy? Why don't you join the pastures, the wilderness, the hills, the valleys, and the meadows, (vs.12-13) and praise him. 

Praying With This Psalm

You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others. 

• 
  
  Father God, remind _________ that you are the God who hears prayers. 
• 
  
  Oh Lord, our Redeemer, assure ______ that you always answer with righteousness. Give them the grace they need to have confidence in your goodness and love.
• 
  
  Almighty God, show ______ that you are sovereign over all things, water, land, and all creation, from here to the nethermost parts of the earth.
• 
  
  Lord, may you soften _______ heart with showers, and turn their heart toward you.

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• 
  
  1 Corinthians 3:-7.In God's kingdom, growth is up to Him...
  Father God, let ____ to recognize that everything is futile without your blessing. 
• 
  
  Titus 3:4-5. God's Goodness today...
  Lord Jesus Christ, you saved us not because of righteous things we have done, but because of your mercy. May _____ know that reality in their life, and turn to you in repentance.

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2010). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD)

Psalm 35: Who cares how you feel

The weekend Psalm for:

March 13-14, 2010

Read  Psalm 35 from the English Standard Version

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The Big Idea

In our culture, we're obsessed with self esteem. It's not popular, or even smart, to point out that feeling good about one's self has no connection to being able to function in life. In fact, studies indicate that the people with the greatest self esteem are often delusional about their own abilities: Let's just say that they often have delusions of adequacy. 

You may never have thought about this, but the gospel is not about self esteem. Jesus did not die so that you could be self-fulfilled. He died to bring salvation. 

This Psalm is God's prescription when the whole world seem to be turned against you. Are circumstances against you? How about people? How about your work situation? God may not choose to fix all that (then again, he might). Either way, we can be sure two great promises. The first is in vs 10: " All my bones shall say, “O Lord, who is like you, delivering the poor from him who is too strong for him, the poor and needy from him who robs him?” The second is near the end of the Psalm: "Great is the Lord, who delights in the welfare of his servants." Nice to know that even in very difficult times, God delights to lift us out of our troubles and do good to us--even in the midst of the jeers of others and the throes of our own self-doubts.  

Meditation 

Is what you do--the stuff of your life and the force behind your activities driven by feeling good about yourself and gaining prestige in the eyes of others. You can be honest: I too am guilty as charged. 

This weekend, take time to consider your own self-assessment, and the pride that often goes along with that. Then, take the time to consider God's assessment of your character, your actions, and the core of who you are. Praise God, grace is at work here, too. He will transform you, if you let him. That's part of what Redemption is all about. Then you will be able to say, with the Psalmist, "I will thank you in the great congregation; in the mighty throng I will praise you." 

Praying With This Psalm

You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others. 

• Father God, give _________ the grace of not assessing themselves by how others see them. May they view measure themselves by the yardstick of your Truth. 
• Oh Lord, our Redeemer, when _____ is faced with malicious people and terrible situations, give them the confidence and calm assurance of your faithfulness. 
• Almighty God, do not be silent in ______'s life. May they hear from you and know you are active, and that they are not abandoned.  
• Lord, may _____ know that there is no one is like you,delivering the poor;from him who is too strong for him.May they know that you are great and that you delight in the welfare of your servants."

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• Hebrews 12:7.God's children sometimes face discipline...
  Father God, sometimes you disipline us. Help ______ to recognize how challenging times can be used by you to help them grow in holiness and be truly transformed. 
• 1 Peter 3:17. Suffering can have its merits...
  Lord Jesus Christ, may _____ know that it is better to suffer for doing good, and not for doing evil. 
• Matthew 5:10. Suffer for the right reasons...
  Father, when ____ is suffering, may it be because they are doing the right thing. Remind them that the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who suffer on its behalf. 

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2010). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD)

Psalm 5: What is God really like?

The weekend Psalm for:

March 6-7, 2010

Read Psalm 5 from the English Standard Version

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The Big Idea

Do you know anyone famous? Have you actually had a chance to sit down with some celebrity (major or minor) and have a conversation? Chances are good that if you did, and your friends found out about it, they wanted to know the details. They probably asked: "What are they like?"

If your meeting was cordial, you probably described it with the highest praise offered in our society: "He/She is pretty cool," followed by some generic descriptions that would make it clear that this was a significant brush with greatness.  

So, are you a Christian? If so, how would you describe God, when someone asks "What's he like?"

This Psalm provides God's self description--the kind of things he might put on a calling card can be found in verses 1-7. Verses 9-10 talk about the character of those who rebel against God. This is not a Psalm of judgement, though--it is a Psalm of comparison. Why would anyone reject God? Why would anyone choose a character contrary to his? The final two verses are a song of praise to God, his character, and the blessings of his favor. 

Meditation 

This Psalm is another psalm of praise. Think about it. God is:

The God who hears (vs 3);
The God who does not delight in wickedness (vs 4);
The God who does not tolerate evil (vs 4);
The God who cannot tolerate the boastful;hates the actions of the evildoer, destroys those who speak lies, and abhors the bloodthirsty deceivers (5-6)
The God who leads (vs 8);
The God who provides refuge (vs 11)
The God who spreads protection over his people (vs 11)

This weekend, take time to consider God's character, as it is revealed here. So often our view of life hinges on our view of God, and you need to ask yourself this question: "Do I trust God?" No matter what the answer, search your heart and ask God to reveal his true, righteous, holy, and perfect character to you, more and more. 

Praying With This Psalm

You can pray scripture prayers for yourself or for others. 

• Father God, let _________ look to you and find confidence in your character. May they praise you for being a holy, just, and merciful God. 
• Oh Lord, our Redeemer, grant _____ your refuge and your covering. May they know the comfort of your protection.  
• Almighty God, may ______ examine themselves to see if they know you and are growing ever more righteous, for if they are growing ever more deceived, selfish, and ruthless. Call ____ to repentence, in your mercy.  

Related Scriptures and Scripture Prayers

• 1 Peter 3:15. Be ready with God's Calling Card...
  Father God, your word tells us that when people harden their hearts you give them up to think, and live, separated from you. Oh, Lord God, may this not be true of ______.
• 2 Tim 1:12. There's an Old Hymn with these words...
  Lord Jesus Christ, may _____ know you as the one they have believed. May they be convinced that you will guard what you have entrusted to them until the day when you redeem all things.  

(Some Rights Reserved, CC-BY-NC, 2010). L. J. Sam Helgerson, PhD)